Hi,

I am new to this game.
Can anyone tell me which tactic has (dis)advantage against which tactic
For example does Counterattack has and advantage over Pressing, and what is the advantage for Counterattack and disadvantage for Pressing.

René@Stirling

Firstly, welcome to SESL. Is your name Chris, (wicked) Willie or Rene !? :-)

Counterattack has a slight advantage over Pressing perhaps.

Best option is not to Press team tactic unless you have a very strong team fielded.
Sometimes weak teams Press towards end of a game in desperation, but this tactic weakens your defence and weak teams just lose even more goals when pressing, generally speaking (or typing!)

As a newbie, best option is play Normal until you understand basics of game.

Opportunistic or Stall are good defensive tactics, so you could start as that, and then change to Normal or Counter when a goal down?
e.g. T >= 30, G <=-1 N

Yes - I agree with Hearts.

The only thing I'd add is that Longball can be a staple tactic if you dont have a midfield to speak of (as an alternative to Normal).

However if you have a number of midfielders I'd go with Normal for now.

GMcD

Thanks guys.
No my name is not Chris, this was the guy who managed Stirling before me and made a mess of things.
My real name is René Wilkens, when I register somewhere I usually use the name Wicked Willie, so both names are ok with me if you use them.

The reason I asked about the (dis)advantages, is because I used to play ESMS league, where you really structered (dis)advantages against tactics

Willie -- see around page 22 and 23 of the SESL rules at web site.

Brief summary of the tactics

Managers have the choice between playing one of nine possible overall match tactics to create GP, DEF and OFF. Each has its good and bad points. From the most defensive to the most aggressive the tactics are:

STALL The team is hardly trying at all to score, and is simply defending the goal as much as possible. If you have no hope of winning a match, or are desperate to hold on to a 1-0 lead, Stall is often the best option. Against a better team you may get a draw, or at least not suffer a slew of goals against you. A Stall team would rather kick the ball into the stands than upfield.

OPPORTUNISTIC The team is still defensive, but tries to make a few counterattacks to score. This may seem like a weaker version of the Stall tactic, but in fact against some of the more aggressive tactics and teams Opportunistic may have just enough of a bite to overall improve the defense against them. Opportunistic is the one tactic where having a very high SL SW is worth the investment as even the SW’s get to create some OFF.

COUNTER ATTACK This is a modified Opportunistic Tactic, but instead of hoping to see if offense kind of just develops, Counter Teams actively seek to rush en mass upfield while the other team is still in the "wrong half" of the field as soon as they get the ball. Against a defensive minded team Counter teams will find little chances to actively counter attack and flounder, but against unbalanced aggression counter teams thrive. Counter Attacking will shred a "bad" Press team.

NORMAL A balanced approach with an even attack and defense. If you have no special plan, Normal is usually a okay option. There are no real weaknesses to Normal, and likewise no real advantages. "Simple" soccer is sometimes the best plan of all.

LONGBALL Slightly more aggressive than Normal but not much. A good tactic if you have a weak midfield and a few solid FW’s on your team. Suffers a little against teams with SW’s, but usually has a good shots taken to goals scored ratio with good FW’s. If you plan to play Longball often, investing in OTF is a waste of time. Use that extra CP to create 1-2 really standout FW’s, or shore up the DF line.

EARLY CROSS This is a modified Longball Tactic. Like Longball Early Cross ignores the MF area for 2:1 rules, but instead of firing balls upfield "up the middle" it fires balls upfield "out wide" with the aim of quickly spreading defenses, and constantly making quick crosses into the box for volleys and headers. This requires a pair of standout WG’s to make work, and can produce awesome OFF production, but is weakened more than any other tactic by marking. Also could do with a good FW in the middle to collect crosses and score.

BALL CONTROL An openly aggressive tactic that requires a heavy duty midfield, enough DF SL to push the ball into the MF area, and as high an OTF as possible. Even with all that, Ball Control can be awfully wide open at the back. Like Finesse a Ball Control team tries to keep hold of possession, but rather than using clever 1 on 1 skills, they tend to use physical play, and create a Wall of Force across the middle of the field. Also all that MF and DF development doesn’t leave much for FW and GK training and coaching. Ball Control teams could in theory have both a solid defense and a crushing offense, but it seems to require an extra 40+ SL MINIMUM advantage over the opponent to get away with it. The weakness at the back and in goal will likely bring them up short in the final analysis against the best. This is probably the least used tactic of all due to its difficult nature.

PRESS The most aggressive tactic of all. Press throws everyone forward in an attempt to score, and as a result is wide open at the back. Pressing against anything other than a team playing a defensive tactic is usually a recipe for disaster as your defensive weakness can outweigh your offense strength. Press is actually safest with a lot of SL at DF and a high OTF in a "back attack" formation. This style against even a superb Stall can break through and score, while having enough of a defense to shut out the other team. Otherwise unless you have a 30-40 SL advantage over the other team, pressing is not a good option.

[D 4.5] Tactical Formulas
GP DEF OFF
SW DF SW DF MF OTF SW DF MF FW WG OTF
Stall 1.00 0.50 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.0 0.25 1.00 1.25
Opportunistic 0.75 0.50 1.00 1.00 0.75 1.5 0.25 0.25 0.50 1.00 1.25
Counterattack 0.75 0.25 1.00 1.00 0.50 1.0 0.25 0.25 0.50 1.00 1.25 1.0

Normal 1.00 0.50 1.00 1.00 0.50 1.0 0.25 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.0
Longball 1.00 0.50 1.00 1.00 0.50 0.25 0.50 1.50 1.25
Early Cross 1.00 0.50 1.00 1.00 0.50 0.25 0.50 1.00 1.75

Finesse 0.75 0.25 1.00 0.75 0.50 1.0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.0
Ball Control 0.75 0.25 1.00 0.75 0.75 0.5 0.25 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.5
Press 0.75 0.25 1.00 0.75 0.25 0.50 1.00 1.00 1.25 2.0

Just remember not to trade away 12 TP for a player that will be just 5/15 at end of this season!

D'oh!

Too late, just seen your trade with HIB!